


The Light at the Beginning of the Tunnel

by CassiaKiaya



Series: Six Working Together to Fight Evil [2]
Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:14:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25156813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassiaKiaya/pseuds/CassiaKiaya
Summary: The Rangers are dealing with the after effects of Graven's attack to Jason and Tommy.  While trying to understand and help, the Rangers find themselves involved in yet another evil plan. Sequel/Continuation to the "Plans Were Made to be Broken" story.
Relationships: Kimberly Hart/Tommy Oliver
Series: Six Working Together to Fight Evil [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1962658
Comments: 4
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading these "episodic" stories! I appreciate the love. Make sure you read "Plans Were Made to be Broken" first before this one, as it starts off a little after how that one ended. :-D
> 
> Again, I don't own what I'm writing about but if I did own the MMPRs, I would have given Rocky an actual background and bring more life to that character. He kinda got the short end of the personal story stick.

Billy sat down at his desk in English and looked to his right. The chair that had been empty for a couple of weeks was about to no longer be empty.

"What's up, Tommy, what's up, Jason...great to see you both back in school," Zack said from the back as the two walked into the classroom.

Billy smiled as they sat down and watched as their classmates gathered around them.

"Lucky us," chirped Bulk. "Why did they get to skip out on two weeks of school?" he complained.

Kimberly briskly walked up to where Bulk and Skull were sitting in their desks.

"They were in car accidents, you dolts. If you two would care about anyone other than yourselves, you would have known that and be a little more respectful," she announced.

"Okay, class. Let's have a seat," the teacher declared.

Kimberly went back to her desk after receiving a few celebratory hand slaps from Tommy, Zack, and Trini.

"I'd like to personally welcome back Tommy and Jason and I am sure that your classmates agree with me that we're all glad you're both okay," the teacher announced.

Billy looked over at Tommy and Jason, who were nodding in agreement.

He felt pride in this moment but also worry. What if this was just the beginning? What if something happens worse than what occured and what if it happened to him? The thought made Billy sick to his stomach.

"May I be excused to see the school nurse? I'm feeling very nauseated," Billy said as he raised his hand.

The teacher nodded and Billy took his stuff and quickly left the classroom. He walked down to the office, but at the last minute, decided to go outside in the picnic area.

Billy slowly took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. He did this for a couple of minutes.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice said from behind.

Billy, embarrassed, turned to see Tommy standing there, with his own bookbag in his arm.

"How did you escape?" Billy asked.

"I pulled the whole 'upset stomach on medication story,' Tommy replied, but followed with "I know you hate missing class. What's wrong?"

Billy drew out his last deep breath and looked down at the picnic table he was sitting at. Tommy sat down on the table's bench across from him.

"I'm worried about what's out there for us now that we've 'rattled the cage,' so-to-speak," Billy replied.

"Look, I know we don't have any guarantees with anything. Can't make any promises. Can't even say one thing without another thing happening," Tommy started. "But I do know one thing, that our team is strong and we can fight anything that comes our way. When I was under Rita's spell, I could see how powerful you all were as a team."

"Yeah, powerful that it only took you to break us," Billy replied, keeping his head down.

"But you all overcame that, just as you did with Graven. If it wasn't for your quick thinking, it would have taken you all longer to figure out how to defeat him. We will do the same with whoever is trying to tear us down and we'll win everytime," Tommy explained.

"How are you so confident about us, Tommy?" Billy asked as he looked up.

"Because I know what we're capable of," Tommy replied.

Billy sat there, looking where the trees meet the skyline.

"I actually wasn't lying about the upset stomach on medication thing, I gotta go, but Billy, think back to what we've been through and how well we work together because of it. You'll see we can get through anything," Tommy said as he stood up and grabbed his backpack.

"I will, Tommy. Thanks," Billy said as Tommy walked back to the school.

'I'm going to review some tapes when school gets out,' Billy thought to himself as he sat there for a little while longer before heading back inside.

Kimberly took out her lunch bag filled of "the perfect girl lunch" as Zack joked. Salad, juice, and an apple.

Tommy came back from the lunch line with a filled tray.

"Nah man, not you too?" Zack announced as Tommy set his tray down.

"My stomach has not been right since I got out," he started as he stared down at his tray filled with salad, fruit cocktail, and milk.

"He's been a fun date. Got up 7 times during the movies," Kimberly joked.

"You kept count?" Trini asked, half laughing.

"Of course, so she can remind me during embarassing times such as this," Tommy replied and could feel a hand slap his arm.

"I missed all of this," Jason laughed. "My hospital roommate was kinda boring."

"That's not true!" Tommy exclaimed as he threw a piece of lettuce at Jason.

The group laughed as they witnessed this exchange occur.

"You feeling better, Billy?" Trini asked.

"Affirmative," Billy replied. "Was just a little under the weather but was talked out of it."

Tommy looked Billy's way but only grinned without anyone else taking notice.

"That's good. It's bad enough that we have to deal with this one," Kimberly joked as she pointed over at Tommy.

"Wow, there is so much love around here that I'm practically drowning in it," Tommy replied.

He felt Kimberly put her arms around him and could hear her laughing.

Rita paced her throne room, in typical Rita fashion. She had a few weeks to recover from the ultimate embarrassment of not only her hired mercenary being killed by the Power Rangers, but also knowing that she couldn't finish what Graven started. She allowed the Power Rangers time to recover and rebuild, instead of tearing them down where they stood..

"Your Empress," Goldar declared when he walked into the throne room.

"Goldar...not now," Rita sighed.

"But," Goldar started.

"No Goldar! No buts!" she exclaimed.

"Your Empress, there is someone here to see you," Goldar interrupted rather loudly.

"Hello, Rita," a voice rang out.

"Scorpina...I don't need you to rub it in," Rita replied.

"Oh on the contrary. I've come up with something that will work this time," Scorpina said.

"Enlighten me," Rita answered back, deciding to only half listen.

"Usual spot today? I feel like I haven't been to the Youth Center in ages!" Jason said after the final bell rang out in the hallways. 

"Don't worry, nothing has changed. I think Ernie purchased a new juicer but that's about it," Billy said.

"I'm just glad to have some normalcy again," Tommy declared as they walked out of the school building.

"Same," Jason replied.

Kimberly stopped suddenly and tugged on Trini's arm to stop her.

The boys didn't notice and continued walking on as Kim turned to Trini.

"We should surprise those two with a beach trip this weekend," Kim whispered in Trini's ear.

Trini looked at Kim and nodded in agreement as the boys finally noticed and turned around to see what the girls were up to.

"Uh oh, guys...they're planning something," Zack announced.

"What? What makes you think that?" Trini replied back, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Yeah, stop assuming. We're talking about going to mall later," Kim replied.

Zack looked over at the guys, who didn't look convinced either.

"Whatever," Zack joked.

The girls looked at each other once the guys turned back around and continued heading to the Youth Center. Kim started laughing first before Trini joined in.

"I don't trust what's going on back there," Tommy said.

"Me either. They are up to something," Jason said and smiled.

"So, you're sure this plan will work that you would bet your life on it? I've had another one promise me that and you saw how that turned out," Rita said, her arms crossed across her chest.

Scorpina stood firm and did not change her expression as she faced Rita.

"Okay, then you're in charge of this plan. Any screw ups or issues must be reported to me immediately. I will not tolerate failure again," Rita replied.

Scorpina smiled but it was void of happiness, it was filled with evil.

"I'm about to crash this planning session and find out what those girls are up to," Zack said as he held the speed bag for Jason to hit.

They stopped and looked over at Trini and Kim, who were actively talking to each other, their heads closer together as if they were speaking in hushed tones.

"It's probably a surprise party or something," Jason started. "We should just let them do their thing or else it could go really bad."

"Yeah, I've got Kim enough on my ass as it is," Tommy said after finishing a couple kicks on the padded flooring. 

"I've seen enough of today, thank you," Billy joked, while standing nearby. 

"I think Zack is going to have a stroke from trying to figure out what we're up to," Trini whispered to Kim.

"Serves him right for being so nosy," Kim replied.

"Kim!" Trini gushed.

"Okay, so after we call their parents and have them get a beach bag ready, we'll pick those up while we have the boys go here to meet us. I'm sure my mom will let me borrow the van and we can then go to Reefside beach," Kim explained.

"Which reminds me...I need a new suit," Trini said.

"Perfect, I wanted to buy a new one anyway," Kim cheered.

"Ooh, to impress a certain someone?" Trini replied as she looked over at the boys, specifically Tommy.

"You be quiet," Kimberly replied. 

The girls stood up quickly and headed over to where the guys were at.

"We're going to the mall, anyone want to join us?" Kimberly joked, knowing full well what the answer will be.

A parade of "no" filled the air, as well as some nodding of the heads.

"Your loss, fellas," Trini replied.

"You know what? I think I'll join you," Zack interrupted.

"What?" Tommy, Jason, and Kimberly exclaimed.

"Why should the ladies have all of the shopping fun," Zack replied and stood over by Trini and Kim.

"I know what you're doing, Zack. You're not going for shopping, you're going so that you can find out what we have planned," Kim said as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Which is nothing, by the way," Trini added.

Zack acted sarcastically shocked. "No, I am not. I really want to get some fresh outfits, that's all."

"Fine, you can join us then," Kim relented.

Tommy, Billy, and Jason all laughed as they watched Zack follow behind the girls and turned back to wink at them.

"Too bad there isn't a hidden camera to witness this," Jason said.

"If I would have known, I could have made it happen," Billy added.

"I betcha Zack doesn't come back in one piece," Tommy joked.


	2. When There's a Kim, There's a Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kimberly has her mind set on a day of relaxation for the Rangers with Trini's help to keep it a secret. Sun, sand, and relaxation, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we all have our favorite episodes, right? I always love to watch season 1, episode 59 titled "Mighty Morphin Mutants" where Tommy, for a class assignment, has to identify and improve a personal flaw. What's great is he needs Jason to help him identify his flaw, which is forgetfulness, and Kimberly and Trini to basically confirm it because he forgets how much he forgets. I can relate as I've dealt with that all of my life. I'll put something down, like he did his drink on the counter, and forget to grab it. I've put things in places that I swear I'll never forget only to lose them. I've found money months, even years later that I've forgotten that I've hid. I've had to keep my spare car key with my car keys because I'll lose or forget where I put them. I think that's why I like his character so much because I can relate all too well to him.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Scorpina hadn't practiced magic in many years. She almost thought about having Rita do it for her but then she remembered that Rita made sure that this was Scorpina's plan...no one else's.

'I have to get the spell just right and the only one who can help me with that is on the Orion Belt,' Scorpina thought.

She gathered up the supplies she would need for her journey through space as quickly as she could before finding a ship that was able to take her.

"I can take you," Finster said from the doorway of the room she was in. "I'm in need of supplies from one of the planets past the Belt."

Scorpina and Finster rarely talked to each other but whenever they did, it only lead to important things.

"Thank you, Finster," she replied.

"You're going to see the Mage, aren't you? Delzinnia? She's a really dark witch," Finster said. 

Scorpina simply stared over at Finster and he knew his answer.

"All I will tell you is to not get on her bad side," he explained.

"I won't," Scorpina replied.

"Hey girls, check out these shoes...woo, they have got some style, don't they?" Zack gushed as he walked past a shop window.

Trini and Kimberly followed behind Zack, wondering when they could ditch him to go look at bathing suits.

"Why don't you go check those out while Kim and I look at women's clothes?" Trini asked.

Zack took the bait as he nodded and ran right into the store.

"Thank goodness...lets get to swimsuit shopping!" Kim announced as they walked rather quickly to PacSun.

After going through the racks, Kimberly finally settled on 2 suits: a dark pink one piece and a light pink 2 piece with a cami top and boy short bottom. Trini found this cute yellow one piece with one shoulder strap and cute side cut out.

"Which one do you like better?" Kim said as she held up the two suits on their hangers.

"I think he'll love the two piece," Trini replied.

"When's he gonna see you in that?" Zack's voice bellowed from behind.

The two girls jumped slightly in surprise as they turned around to see Zack standing there, with a large bag in his hand.

"Dang it, Zack! You scared us!" Trini yelled.

"So, let me guess...you're taking us to the beach tomorrow?" Zack asked.

"Listen, you can't ruin the surprise, okay? We're going to Reefside Beach in my mom's van. Maybe you can help with the surprise," Kimberly said.

"Fine, I won't utter a peep. Trini is right though, get the two piece," Zack pointed out and smiled.

Tommy went home after working out at the Youth Center with Jason and Billy. His Mom, Caroline, was just getting home from work.

"Hey Mom, is dinner ready?" he joked.

"Very funny, Thomas. Listen, Dad wants you to cut the grass before it gets dark tonight," she said as she placed her purse down on the kitchen counter.

"But I cut it 2 days ago," Tommy replied.

"And Dad wants it cut again. Grass grows," she answered back.

Tommy sighed and went to his room to change into his usual grass cutting clothes: a baggy pair of green shorts, a green tank top, and an old pair of tennis shoes. He then went into the garage to get the mower moved outside and started.

Caroline Oliver started packing his secret beach bag, hiding it in the front hall closet before he finished mowing the lawn that really didn't need to be cut.

Jason thought it was odd that he couldn't go into his room when he came home. His mom, Elizabeth, threatened him with more chores if he came in before she was done. When she came downstairs, she was acting like nothing happened.

"Mom, what did you do to my room?" Jason asked.

"I cleaned a few things that you haven't touched in years," she replied. "I wanted to surprise you."

Jason looked at her in a weird way before going up to his room. It was true, though, the trophies from martial arts and football were well dusted. His closet was slightly more organized. He shrugged his shoulders as he laid down in his bed.

"You're done, Red Ranger," Graven said as he reached down, grabbing Jason's shirt collar and pulling his body up slightly. As Graven threw his body back down on the cold floor, Jason woke up with a start.

He could hear his front doorbell ringing as he adjusted being awake from his nightmare. He rubbed his eyes and looked down to realize that he never changed out of his clothes from yesterday.

He heard the door open and then shortly close. Groggily, he headed downstairs to see what all of the commotion was about. 

"What was that?" Jason asked at the base of the stairs.

"Oh just a neighbor stopping by asking to borrow the edger," Elizabeth quickly answered.

Jason shrugged it off and headed towards the kitchen.

"Oh, one of your friends called, Kimberly...she said for you to meet at the Youth Center in about an hour," Elizabeth remarked as he reached the kitchen.

Jason grabbed a bagel, cut it, and put it in the toaster. He thought to himself why Kimberly would want to meet this early on a Saturday when the Youth Center isn't even open. It was 8:15am.

"Mom, are you sure that's what she said? The Youth Center doesn't even open until 11am on Saturdays," Jason yelled out.

Elizabeth had to further sell this.

"Jason, I know what I heard. If you don't go, don't expect me to field the angry phone calls," she replied as she walked into the kitchen.

Jason was about to reply 'okay, fine' when his bagel popped out of the toaster. 

"Tommy! There's a boy named Zack on the phone for you! Tommy!" Caroline yelled from the first floor.

'I swear this boy could sleep through a hurricane...' she thought before starting to go up the stairs. "Tommy! Phone!"

Tommy thought he could hear yelling in his nightmare, but he couldn't make out the voice. Graven knew that it would take more torture, but he was taking his time on what kind it would be. It was the waiting that Tommy hated most. 

"Just get it over with, Graven, you piece of shit!" Tommy yelled out.

"Tommy, wake up!" Caroline said as she opened his bedroom door.

Tommy jumped up in his bed, drenched in sweat.

"Jesus, Mom! You scared the crap out of me!" Tommy exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, but a boy named Zack is on the phone for you. Is he one of your new friends?" Caroline asked.

Tommy nodded his head as he wiped it with his t-shirt. 

"Did you have one of your accident nightmares again?" she asked, honestly.

"Yeah, but it's okay," he said and picked up the phone by his bedside.

Caroline smiled and left the room. Tommy finally put the receiver to his ear and said "hey Zack, what's going on?"

"Dude, I've been sitting here waiting for 8 minutes. I heard your Mom yelling for you..." Zack joked, laughing.

"I'm a hard sleeper. Why are you calling me this early?" Tommy snapped.

"Chill out, Jason wanted us to meet at the Youth Center in an hour to go over some stuff that Alpha scanned," Zack replied.

Tommy didn't question it as he agreed and got off the phone. He looked over at the two alarm clocks on his side table and both read 8:15am.

"This better be good," Tommy groaned as he slowly got out of bed.

Zack called Billy and told him the same lie he told Tommy before Kimberly and Trini stopped by his house with the van. He went outside with his backpack as soon as he heard it pull in the driveway.

"She let you borrow it, huh?" Zack said as he approached the side door and pulled on the handle for it to slide open. Kimberly turned from the driver's seat and smiled. Trini turned from the front passenger's seat and smiled too.

"You know what...you're right...we do all need this," Zack announced as he sat in the middle row behind the driver's seat after closing the door.

"When Kimberly has something set in her mind, she will make sure she follows through," Trini replied.

"I know, I know...don't mess with Kim," Zack joked.

"You got Jason's, Tommy's, and Billy's beach bags?" he asked.

"Yep! Their moms packed them last night and had them ready for us to pick up quickly this morning," Kimberly said, as matter-of-factly.

"They are going to have no clue what is going on," Trini said.

Kimberly drove to the Youth Center and couldn't wait to see the faces of three very confused guys standing outside the locked door of a closed establishment. Sure enough, as she pulled into the lot she could see them standing around, looking very confused.

"What are you three doing here so early? Don't you know the Youth Center doesn't open until 11am?" Trini yelled out the open passenger window.

"Ha ha, very funny. What is all of this?" Jason asked.

"It's a surprise! Get in, boys!" Kimberly yelled out.

Billy led the way as he was the most awake, followed by Jason and then grudgingly, Tommy, who was still yawning.

"Aww, did we wake you, Tommy?" Kimberly joked as the three guys got in the van. Billy sat next to Zack in the middle seats, Jason and Tommy climbed in the back row. Tommy glared at Kim as she stared at him with the rearview mirror. "You're cute when you're grumpy," she added.

"Alright, where are we going?" Jason asked.

"It's a surprise, silly. Didn't I just say that?" Kimberly said as she started driving again.

Tommy laid his head on the side by the window and closed his eyes. Jason was wide awake now, trying to read the street signs as they went by. Billy, for once, wasn't trying to out think anything, he was taking it all in. 

"Turn that station up, please. I can't hear with Tommy snoring back here," Zack said.

"I'm not even asleep yet," Tommy replied with his eyes still closed.

"Still, we gotta be prepared," Zack said and watched Kimberly turn the volume dial up. "Thanks, you're the best."

"I know," Kimberly replied, smugly.

"Billy, you've been quiet, is everything okay?" Trini asked as she turned back towards him.

"Affirmative. I'm just enjoying the scenery both outside and inside," Billy replied, and a genuine smile appeared.

Jason was still staring around until he started to notice mileage signs for Reefside and saw that Kimberly was staring to drive a little slower.

"So, are you at least gonna treat me to a Reefside Coastal Colada?" he asked.

"I knew you would figure it out, but at least I got you clueless this far," Kimberly replied, her eyes glancing towards the back.

Jason smiled as he knew he was right. He looked over at Tommy, who appeared to be sleeping finally but was very pale and his forehead was glistened with sweat.

"Kim, pull over," Jason said, calmly.

"Wha..." Kimberly started.

"Just do it, Tommy's having a nightmare," he said.

Kimberly pulled off the two lane road into an empty parking lot near a church.

"He's going to need fresh air," Jason declared.

No one questioned what was going on. It had been a couple of weeks and neither Jason nor Tommy had talked to anyone about what they were experiencing post tramatically. Jason, from his own experience, however, recognized this behavior.

Jason waited for Billy and Zack to exit the van, to help move the seat up so that Tommy would have a straight way out of the van.

"Tommy...Tommy, you gotta wake up...come on, man...wake up..." Jason said, while lightly shaking him.

Without warning, Tommy's eyes darted open, looking frantically around him in pure panic.

"It's ok, you're not there dude...you're with us..." Jason encouraged.

"I can't...I won't...I'm gonna throw up..." Tommy said before darting out of the van.

He barely made three steps before whatever cereal and milk was left in his stomach flew out on the pavement.

Kimberly got out of the van and ran over behind Tommy. She placed her hand on his back, rubbing it ever so lightly for support.

Tommy fell down on his hands and knees besides his mess and was breathing erratically.

"Tommy, you're okay. You're safe," Kimberly said, as she looked to Jason for guidance.

"He's gotta ride it out. It'll take a little bit," Jason said.

The others stood around, not knowing exactly how to help during this sensitive situation. Trini felt herself going into "mother" mode and went into the trunk to find a spare towel. She walked over to Kimberly and handed her the towel to give to Tommy.

"Thanks," Kimberly replied.

Trini noticed a tear running down Kimberly's cheek and felt awful. She hadn't talked to Kimberly about how she's been handling all of this. None of them have really talked about what happened. It has been swept under the rug and they realize now that it's all collapsing down around them.

After a minute or so, Tommy's breathing sounded a little more normal. 

"Here," Kimberly said, as she handed the towel down to Tommy.

He grabbed it and sat down on the pavement, putting it on his face.

"Thanks," he mumbled through it.

She sat down on the pavement behind him and wrapped her arms around him. She felt him slightly relax in her arms.

"I'm sorry," he said, while he lowered the towel and wiped his neck.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Tommy," Kimberly replied.

"We're here for you, buddy," Jason said, as he placed a hand on Tommy's shoulder.

Scorpina approached the small stoned home with a little less confidence than she normally would have. It was in the middle of a stony mountanous area, but somehow, a clear path went directly to it. She was sure it was the work of who she was going to see: Delzinnia.

The door flew open before Scorpina could even knock. A short feminine creature stood before her. Her eyes, a little bigger than a human's, flashed purple before turning back to brown. Purple fur filled the skin from her head to her toes. She wore a dark black dress without shoes. She probably didn't wear shoes because she was floating a foot in the air to give herself some height.

"Scorpina, Scorpion Queen, I remember you when you were just a little scorpion," Delzinnia said, not moving at all.

"I need your help," Scorpina replied.

"Figures, there would be no other reason for you to be here," Delzinnia replied. "Who's bothering you now?"

"Earth's Power Rangers," Scorpina replied.

"You mean that stupid Repulsa still hasn't got rid of those kids?" Delzinnia said, then laughed.

"I'm going to finally rid of them but that's why I need your help with a deep psychological spell," Scorpina said.

Delzinnia held her fingers in the air as wisps of purple aura flew around them.

"This will be enjoyable. It's been boring around here," Delzinnia declared.

Tommy was the first to get back into the van after having sat on the pavement for a few minutes. The color came back to his face as he announced he was okay to get going.

He looked over at Jason, who was next in the van and sat down next to Tommy again.

"Thanks, man. You knew what I needed," Tommy said.

"Don't mention it," Jason replied.

"Off to the beach," Trini said, trying to lighten things up.


	3. Life's a Beach and Then You Fry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reefside Beach, here they come! While the Rangers are enjoying the sun and waves, Scorpina is enjoying her time to shine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to go to the beach sooooo bad. Little CassiaKiaya storytime...my fam and I would go to Lake Michigan when I was wee and it was awesome. I pictured Grand Haven, MI as my Reefside when writing this as it is a true beach town. 
> 
> Slushies from beach areas are always better for some reason. I want a Piña Colada. 
> 
> Well, these notes went sideways...sorry for that.
> 
> Thank you all for reading!

They reached the public beach shortly after their detour, with Kimberly getting a prime parking spot since it was still early. After she parked, she went to the trunk and started finding everyone's beach bags.

"And you had our parents make beach bags? How fascinating!" Billy said as he was handed his blue backpack.

"I almost thought something was up when my mom cleaned my room...she never cleans my room," Jason said.

"So that's why I had to cut the grass yet again this week...thanks a lot, Kim," Tommy said, sarcastically.

Kimberly laughed, which helped lift her heavy heart, especially since it came from him.

Once they got their bags, they walked down to an empty part of the beach and set their bags down. 

"Guys' changing rooms are that way, us girls' are this way," Trini said as she pointed in the specific areas.

"Last one to finish changing has to buy lunch!" Zack yelled.

The guys scrambled to find their suits and ran off to the changing rooms. Kim and Trini hurried up as fast as they could, especially Kim since she had two pieces to put on.

A few minutes went by as the first ones arrived back at their spot: Zack and then Trini.

"Congrats on being first, Zack," Trini said, trying to catch her breath.

"Thanks. I'm really short on money this week," he replied.

Trini laughed as she saw that Jason and Tommy were running back, almost competing with each other to see who gets there the fastest.

"Okay, so it's down to Billy and Kim," Tommy said once he reached the group.

In the distance, they could see Billy and Kim, running next to each other. In the blink of an eye, Billy somehow tripped and fell in the sand as Kimberly ran faster with a huge smile on her face as she reached the group.

Billy got up and yelled out "she tripped me!"

Everyone laughed as Kimberly held her arms up in victory. She noticed Tommy was staring at her, but didn't say anything.

As Billy tried gathering what pride he had left being the last one to the finish, Kimberly went to hug him.

"Nope, not fair. I demand a new race," he said, trying to push Kimberly away.

"Aww Billy, don't be sad...ok, fine how about you and I split?" she replied.

"Sounds fair," Billy said, then let Kimberly give him a hug.

"First to the water, buys drinks!" Zack announces.

"No! We're not doing that again!" Billy yelled.

"Fine, see you suckers later!" Zack replied and ran out to the water.

The others started to follow, except Kimberly felt someone grab her arm to hold her back. She smiled when she realized who it was.

"What's wrong, Tommy? Cat's got your tongue?" Kimberly said.

"You look...amazing," he replied as he placed his hands around her waist.

"Why thank you. They said you would like this one," Kimberly replied.

Tommy leaned down and kissed her lips.

"Hey lovebirds! The ocean is this way!" Zack yelled out from the water.

Tommy flashed Zack the middle finger after he took his hands off her waist and then grabbed her hand to walk with her to the water.

"After you, gorgeous," Tommy said, and motioned for her to go in first.

"Thank you, handsome," she replied.

"I wonder what sea life is typical in this part of the ocean?" Billy questioned outloud.

"I know there's seaweed for sure," Trini said as she threw a bunch away from her.

"Remember to piss on a jellyfish sting," Zack joked.

"Thanks Doctor Zack, such sound advise," Jason replied as he splashed water towards Zack.

Tommy couldn't help himself as he grabbed Kimberly and tossed her over his shoulder.

"Tommy's going to be a drowning victim," Trini said, while watching Kimberly swim back up to the surface. 

Kimberly wiped the water off of her face and stared at Tommy with disgust. He couldn't help but laugh hysterically at her.

"Jason, do you want a girlfriend?" Kimberly asked and started to swim towards him.

"Oh no you don't," Tommy growled as he swam after her.

"I'm not getting involved in this!" Jason yelled. 

Tommy managed to catch Kimberly and hugged her. She knew struggling wasn't going to do much but also knew she could catch him offguard. Before he knew it, Kimberly had pushed his shoulders down hard enough to send him into the water.

As Tommy resurfaced, he held his hands in the air. "Truce, truce!" he said.

Kimberly smiled and went in for a quick kiss.

Delzinnia held her hands out and kept her eyes closed. Wisps of purple smoke flew around her fingers.

"So you're proposing that the four Rangers who Graven did not torture think that it happened to them as well? I think I like that. You'll have 2 broken Rangers, who have their own inner pain, trying to understand why the others are feeling the same? All six suffering with no one to help them...hmmm, Scorpina, you've done well," Delzinnia said as she focused her mind.

Scorpina grinned and watched as Delzinnia start to recite a specific spell.

"Now this won't happen right away. This kind of trauma takes a while to manifest in the mind. It may happen to one or a few at the same time. All that confusion will only add to it," Delzinnia declared after finishing her spell.

"Beggers cannot be chosers. I will be happy no matter how long the wait is," Scorpina replied.

"You'll be able to prove to Rita who deserves the moon's throne," Delzinnia said.

Scorpina's trip back through space required Finster's help again but he was too giddy after getting his supplies, that he hardly asked about Scorpina's plan.

Rita did not inquire either when she returned. Scorpina felt abandoned but shook off those feelings knowing what was about to transpire.

Billy and Kim grabbed a few pizzas as they didn't feel like taking individual orders and lined up the picnic table with their choices. In front of Jason, however, was a Reefside Coastal Colada, non-alcoholic, of course...just as promised.

"I knew you would remember, thanks Kim," Jason said.

Kim laughed her infamous giggle as she sat across from Tommy.

"Man, I could eat all of this, I'm starving," Tommy declared.

"Well yeah, considering you left your breakfast in an empty parking lot back there," Zack replied.

"It was good too," Tommy said.

"Guys, can we NOT do this when we're eating?" Kimberly snapped.

Tommy and Zack shrugged their shoulders in unison.

"In all seriousness, how can we all help you," Trini said, as she looked towards Jason and Tommy. 

Jason stopped eating his food and thought about it for a second. He looked around and noticed it was still early and there weren't too many people around to hear.

"Tommy, Zordon said we should talk about it. I think now is a good time," he announced.

Tommy nodded in agreement as he finished a slice of with just about everything on it.

"I don't even know how to begin, but I will say that what happened was like you were thrown into the pits of hell and there felt like there was no way of getting out. And I only went through a short amount. I can't imagine what Tommy went through," Jason started.

Kim looked across at Tommy, who was only slightly nodding his head in agreement. She reached out for his hand and held it.

"It was like he said, just hell. Graven had this way of suffocating you without trying...drowning you without water...It's not the residual pain that's hitting me hard, it's the feeling of being trapped like a dying animal without hope," Tommy explained.

"It's like he knew what tool or weapon to use next that would continue your feeling of hopelessness. Each one more suffocating that the next," he continued.

Jason let Tommy continue, knowing he needed this more. 

"I told Kim this, but not you guys but I did ask for him to kill me," Tommy declared.

Trini felt instant emotion as she fought the tears back. Billy noticed this and put his arm around her, consoling her.

"I was at my end. I knew you guys would find me but he had a way of making you feel like there was nothing left to live for anyway," Tommy said. "But I realized I had to fight it and I had to hold on until you found me. What hurts the most is that he dumped me off in the park on purpose, I was apart of his plan...to be found and then lure you guys out one by one to do the same thing to."

"Tommy, you can't blame yourself for any of this," Kim said, squeezing his hand tighter. "It could have happened to any of us...it could have...ow..." she started, but grimmaced sharply.

"You okay, Kim?" Zack asked.

"Yeah, I...just had a sharp pain in my stomach...probably lunch," Kim replied, trying to laugh.

"Trini, you asked how you can help us. I think the best way is just being there for us. Just knowing you'll always be there is helping us," Jason said.

Kimberly couldn't describe the weird pain she was having in her stomach. It felt as if someone was sticking a hot needle in it. She didn't want to ruin the day, so she tried her best to ignore it.

As they all finished lunch, they wanted to spend the rest of the day just relaxing on the beach.

"Just make sure you wait 30 minutes before swimming," Zack announced.

"Doctor Zack, making the rounds again," Jason joked.

Trini and Kimberly laid out their towels on the sand and laid down to take in some sun. The guys saw the volleyball net set up nearby and went to find a ball.

"The weather could not have been more perfect," Trini said, as she laid on her back.

Kimberly didn't reply but did let out a small grunt.

"Kimberly, you sure you're okay?" Trini asked.

"I actually don't know. Earlier, I felt this shooting pain in my stomach, like someone had like, stabbed me or something. Now it just feels like needles are stabbing me," Kimberly replied.

"We should take you to the hospital," Trini declared.

"No...it's fine. It's probably just cramps or something. I'm getting close to that wonderful time anyway," Kimberly lied.

"Ok, but if it gets worse, we're taking you, or at least just I will after we drop them off," Trini replied.

Kimberly ignored the pain and closed her eyes. 

"Kimberly...Kimberly...a sweet girl who thought she could be a hero," said a familiar voice in her head. She opened her eyes and looked around, but there was the same sandscape before her.

She closed her eyes again, almost wanting to hear it again to make sure she wasn't truly imaging things.

"You want to see what your precious, sad excuse for a boyfriend went through...well, you'll feel it soon enough," the voice said.

Now she knew exactly who's voice that is. It was Graven's.

'What in the hell is going on?' she thought.

"Ok, Jason and Zack, versus Tommy and I," Billy announced as he held onto the volleyball.

"Fine, but when you lose, you can't be upset because you didn't pick me," Zack yelled.

"Ha ha, we'll see about that," Tommy replied.

Billy held up the ball to serve but immediately fell to the sand. He held his leg as if something happened to it.

"Billy, you ok?" Jason yelled as the three ran to him.

"No...it feels like my leg...was just hit with a... baseball bat," Billy replied through distress.

"Billy, I would almost respect you since you're the brains of the operation but you let yourself be dragged down by these circus animals that you call friends," a familiar voice rang in his head.

"Where is he?" Billy said, outloud.

"What? Who?" Jason replied, confused.

"Let's see if you can outwit this pain," Graven said in Billy's head.

A second later, Billy felt his head had split open as he laid on the sand. He cried out in true pain as he clutched his head.

"Shit, what's going on?" Tommy yelled as he watched Billy suffer.

"You guys! Something is wrong with Kimberly!" Trini's voice could be heard in the distance.

"You guys stay with Billy. I'll see what's wrong with Kim," Tommy said as he started running towards the girls.

Tommy approached Trini, who was holding Kimberly as they were sitting on their towels. Kimberly was shaking uncontrollably, tears streaking her face.

"What happened?" Tommy asked, crouching down.

"She was complaining of sharp pain in her stomach earlier and then she just did this," Trini replied.

Tommy looked at Kimberly in the eyes, but they were unfocused, even as he tried to get her to look at him. He recognized this faraway look and it scared him completely.

"Kimberly, listen to me...listen to me, Kim...I need you here with me..." Tommy said as he watched her continue to shake.

"Poor little Kimberly. I think it's about time we show them how helpless you really are," Graven's voice echoed in her mind.

Kimberly screamed out while putting herself in a fetal position. Trini was about to comfort her, when she doubled over too, crouched in pain.

"Tommy! The pain! Tell him to make it stop!" Trini yelled out.

Tommy stood up, completely at a loss of what he could do to help. He heard someone running to him from behind, but his ears were ringing.

"Zack and Billy are like this too," Jason said.

Tommy turned around and it took a few seconds to recognize what he heard.

"I don't know what to do," Tommy said, as he watched the girls.

"This has to be a spell, it's too coincidental," Jason said and brought his communicator up to his mouth.

"Alpha, can you help bring Billy, Zack, Trini, and Kim back to the Command Center...and prepare some cots," he said into the communicator.

"Right away, Jason," Alpha 5's voice said over the air. 

Within a few seconds, the bodies of the four Rangers disappeared with teleportation. Jason and Tommy took one last look at each other before teleporting themselves.

The Comand Center was no longer quiet as the four Rangers were helped onto their respective cots. Tommy and Jason approached before Zordon.

"Do you think that Graven is somehow alive and doing all of this? I heard Zack yelling out his name when he was talking to himself," Jason said while looking up at Zordon.

"We've scanned the universe as far as our scanners could reach and we have not found his bio signature," Zordon replied.

Tommy looked back at Kimberly, who was still crying uncontrollably.

"Zordon, what can we do?" Tommy begged.

"It's a spell meant to further break your team but it is unknown how to stop it," Zordon announced, solemnly. 

"What if we found the one who cast the spell?" Jason asked.

"I have Alpha 5 scanning the universe for the one who I believe may be the only one strong enough to cast such a spell," Zordon said.

"I hope this works," Tommy said, while he took another glance at the four Rangers.


	4. I'd Rather Feel Nothing, Than Everything at Once

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason and Tommy are rushing to find out who is behind the spell that has put Kimberly, Zack, Trini, and Billy through their own painful nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all of you who are reading my stories! It is such a bright light for me during this dark 2020 tunnel. I thought about the title of this story and I played with the saying "light at the end of the tunnel."...I put beginning instead. The tunnel sometimes gets darker at the end and it starts off light. I'm getting too philosophical. I must stop now.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy this chapter and have fun reading! Thank you all so much!

Scorpina approached Rita's throne room with an authority that she hadn't felt in a millenium or two. It was her chance to really shine and to prove that she was able to rule without anyone's help. She walked to Rita's room, knocking rather loudly.

"What is all of this? Who's making all of this noise," said Rita behind the door.

Rita opens the door abruptly and jumps a little at the sight of Scorpina, who is standing with such confidence.

"Well? Did you do it?" Rita asked.

"Come look for yourself," Scorpina said, and motioned for her to look at her telescope.

Rita stepped up to the scope and stared into the lens. Down on Earth, at a beach, were 4 of those pesky Rangers, writhing in pain, unable for sure to fight. She couldn't help but laugh in her usual evil cackle.

"Scorpina, you are slowly becoming a threat," Rita balked.

Scorpina sighed but still felt proud of this moment.

"Now what?" Rita asked.

"Now, I go after the Green and Red Ranger, and finish what Graven started," Scorpina answered.

"Good, go find them," Rita commanded.

"I've found the source, Zordon. It's coming from Orion," Alpha 5 announced after sometime of staring at the computer while it scanned the universe.

"Just as I suspected," Zordon said, shaking his head.

"What is it Zordon?" Jason asked.

"I can't send you there," Zordon said, with disappointment filling his voice.

Tommy, who was standing next to Kim, who had finally passed out thanks to the medication Alpha 5 created to help ease their pain, walked back to Zordon.

"Why? Why can we not go there?" Tommy asked.

"Because I would be sending you two to your deaths," Zordon said.

"Been there, done that," Jason replied, his voice riddled with anger.

"The Mage, Delzinnia, you would be going up against would be sure to finish you both without a trace remaining. Her power is ultimate," Zordon stated.

"We need to take that chance, Zordon. They'll die if we choose to play it safe!" Tommy exclaimed.

"Alpha, I need you to think of ways to boost the Morphin Grid and energize their powers. We'll need Jason and Tommy at a strength strong enough to go against her," Zordon instructed.

Alpha 5 sighed. "I wish Billy was able to help me."

"We all do, Alpha. Trust me," Jason said.

Scorpina almost wanted to pull a Rita and go down to Earth, plotting destruction by growing in size, luring the two able Rangers out from wherever they are hiding. But she had to outsmart them and would meet them where she knew they would eventually figure they would go, Orion.

She walked into Finster's lab, looking for her ride. Luckily, he was available to drop her off, yet again.

"You're lucky I have nothing much going on with Rita stepping back to let you do all of the dirty work," Finster declared as he finished up what he was working on to help.

"Well, since everything is going as planned, I may be hiring you to work for me," she replied.

"This should work," Alpha announced as he finished a sequence on the computer.

"Should?" Jason asked.

"Yes...I think. If not, we may blow the Grid," Alpha replied.

Jason and Tommy looked at each with fear in their eyes but knew there wasn't any way of turning back. Tommy walked back to Kimberly and kissed her cheek.

"Stay strong, I'll be back...I hope," he said and then walked back up to where Jason was waiting.

"Setting the system now. It shouldn't hurt, but you'll be transported during this process, so you both should arrive on Orion as well," Alpha 5 instructed. "Your communicators will act as a beacon and will let you know when you're close to Delzinnia's location. Good luck, Jason and Tommy."

"And may the power protect you," Zordon said.

A flash of blinding red and green filled the Command Center. It was so bright that Zordon and Alpha 5 shielded themselves away from it's source.

The surge of power flowed through Jason and Tommy's bodies like lightning, but without the pain. Suddenly, their bodies disappeared as the flashes of red and green went away as well.

The next second, Jason and Tommy felt themselves crashing on the ground. They each patted their bodies to make sure they were whole and not missing any limbs. They looked around until they saw they were both okay, in whatever sense of the word, and cheered.

"Thank you, Alpha!" Jason yelled.

"I don't know about you, but I feel like I could lift 600 pounds with one hand," Tommy said as he flexed his arms.

"Same, bro. Why couldn't we have this all of the time?" Jason replied.

"Probably due to the fact that we could possibly blow up the Grid?" Tommy joked.

"Oh yeah. Let's get going," Jason commanded.

The two started walking in the direction they were facing, with the hopes they would be right and find Delzinnia quickly. Their friends depended on it.

"Boys, I'm sorry but the Mage doesn't want to see you right now," said a voice from behind them.

Jason and Tommy turn around to see Scorpina standing there.

"I told you, Tommy. We should have called ahead," Jason joked.

"You joke now, but soon you'll be too dead to laugh," Scorpina replied, pulling out her sword.

"Hey, we have one of those too. Mine's a little smaller, but it's rude to compare sizes," Tommy said as he reached for his Morpher.

"Very rude, but I will say that mine's bigger," Jason joked and reached for his Morpher too.

"Enough, back to your deaths!" Scorpina yelled and held her sword out.

"It's morphin' time!" Jason yelled.

Tommy and Jason morphed and entered their combat stances, waiting for Scorpina to strike.

She charged at them, swinging her sword as fast as she could towards Jason first.

Jason's sword struck Scorpina's and they both sparked a tremendous amount. It was enough that Scorpina fell back, with a look of complete shock.

"Crazy, huh? We took our vitamins today?" Jason joked.

Suddenly, Tommy's and Jason's communicators started beeping like mad.

"I think you-know-who is here," Tommy yelled through the simultaneous beeping.

Sure enough, the sky around them went dark as if the nearby suns and stars turned off with a switch. There was barely enough light for the Rangers see their own hands in front of their faces.

"Tommy! Try to keep close!" Jason ordered.

"I'm going to try, buddy...I'm going to try...I can't see anything!" Tommy replied.

A flash of purple appeared before them and a light highlighted the floor where a figure hovered above it.

"Scorpina said you two might be joining us for a visit," a voice said from the figure.

The figure snapped her fingers and the suns and stars all 'turned back on.' Tommy and Jason were finally able to see their attacker.

"Delzinnia! Stop your spell on our friends or else you'll meet the fate as Graven!" Jason ordered.

"I'm sorry, that's not how this works. You don't come to my planet in your puny Earthly state and bark orders at me. I'm more powerful than all of you weakly humans combined," Delzinnia replied.

She waved her hands, causing Tommy's Dragon Dagger to fly out of his hand and Jason's Power Sword to fly out of Jason's grip. They both landed by Delzinnia, who placed them in a protective shell.

"Ok, so you took our weapons. We'll still beat you," Tommy said and got in his fighting stance.

"Sad. Just sad," Delzinnia said and looked over at Scorpina, who had her head down. "I'm sorry...you were hoping to kill them, weren't you?" 

Scorpina looked up and nodded in agreement.

"Well, since I'll be taking over Rita's position of Queen on the Moon, I'll let you have this one fight," Delzinnia declared.

Scorpina looked sharply at Delzinnia. 

"That wasn't our plan! You were helping ME to become the ruler, not you!" Scorpina replied in anger.

Tommy and Jason looked at each other in confusion. Tommy came up with an idea.

"That's right, Scorpina. You know you'd be a much better ruler on the Moon than Rita would be and certainly better than this Delzinnia," Tommy quipped with a smirk on his face.

Jason looked over at Tommy but quickly figured out what he was doing.

"Yeah, Scorpina...how do you let her talk to you like that. You know you deserve that throne," Jason said.

Scorpina grew very angry and felt the scorpion venom fill her veins.

"You think you can rule over that miniscule planet Earth? Scorpina, you could barely rule over a pack of Finster's clay creatures," Delzinnia replied.

A loud and sudden screech filled the air as Scorpina charged at Delzinnia, catching Delzinnia off guard. Scorpina's sword plowed through Delzinnia's chest, causing her to fall to the ground.

Jason and Tommy's weapons fell out of the protective shell. They ran to their weapons and held them at Delzinnia's throat as she laid on the ground. Scorpina stood back, trying to catch her breath.

"Break our friends spell before we even think about possibly letting you live," Jason said.

Tommy took it a step further and knelt down, placing his Dragon Dagger enough on Delzinnia's throat that purple blood was drawing out.

Delzinnia waved her hands around her and purple smoke filled the air.

"It's lifted. Let me go," was all Delzinnia said.

"Not yet. Zordon, is the spell gone?" Jason said into his communicator.

"Yes, it is gone. They're okay," Alpha 5's voice cheered through.

Tommy stood up and let Jason keep his Power Sword on Delzinnia's throat. He walked over to Scorpina.

"She's all yours," he told her.

"Tommy, you sure you want to do that," Jason said, questioning his decision.

Tommy looked over at Scorpina, who felt completely empowered, but at the same time, let down. She grinned knowing the newly found power that was now in her hands.

"If I destroy Delzinnia, I'll be feared around this whole universe," she said, to no one in particular.

Tommy stepped back and motioned for Jason to lift his sword. He brought his communicator up to his mouth.

"Alpha 5, get us home," Tommy said.

With a flash of red and green light, Scorpina was left alone with Delzinnia, who was still feeling the effects of being stabbed by Scorpina's venomous sword.

The red and green light traveled back to the Command Center, landing right in front of Zordon.

Jason felt his body. It still felt whole but no longer as strong as it felt before. He looked at Tommy, who was coming to that conclusion for himself as well. They both looked back at the four Rangers, who were groggily coming out of their deep sleeps.

Tommy ran up to Kimberly, who was starting to wake up.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked.

He helped Kimberly sit up on her cot.

"Like I was in a huge painful nightmare that just went away," she replied.

Jason checked on the others, who were all saying the same thing.

"That was so bizarre," Zack said, while stretching.

"I felt like I was being put through a meat grinder," Trini replied.

"It was like even my sub atomic particles were being spliced," Billy declared.

"Rangers, I am very glad that you're all free from Delzinnia's spell," Zordon announced.

"Thanks to Jason and Tommy," Alpha 5 said.

"Do you think Scorpina took care of Delzinnia?" Jason asked Tommy.

"When I was under Rita's spell, I actually had a rather decent conversation with Scorpina. She longs for control like Rita has. It's been her plan to take over. She just needed the power or at least clout to do so. She just might now," Tommy replied.

"And you just let her go?" Zack said, astonished.

Tommy shrugged his shoulders before Zordon interjected.

"Rangers, remember that since the beginning of time, there has always been a delicate balance of good and evil. If we begin to destroy all the evil around us, our universe will surely shift, and not for the better."

"I'm sure we'll battle her again and again and we'll be ready," Jason said.


	5. Fool Me, Fool Me...Say That You'll Fool Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end to an eventful day at the beach proves to be the worst for some but better for most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lil shorter than most but then I noticed that this story is longer than the first one...so that makes up for it, right? lol "It is not the quantity, it is the quality." 
> 
> Stupid me sold my Wii Motion Plus attachments to my Wii remotes and I was trying to play The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword on WiiU AND IT WON'T START UNTIL YOU PLUG IN THE WII MOTION PLUS TO THE WII REMOTES! 
> 
> Here's the real problem: I needed Breath of the Wild 2 like months ago and there isn't any word on when it could be coming out. So I've been playing older Zelda games to pass the time. I've lit enough stuff in BOTW on fire and broken plenty of shields by surfing everywhere. 
> 
> On a Power Ranger note, I've been playing Battle for the Grid on Nintendo Switch. I love it, but I still suck at it. Let me tell you though...Jason kicks SO MUCH ASS. I spam a few moves repeatedly with his sword because he kills! Tommy's great too but Jason's seems stronger to me, but that could be my suckage talking.

Scorpina waited for Finster's ship to arrive on Orion as she cleaned her sword off in a nearby stream. She looked out in the starry sky, imaging how fast word would get around, especially back at the Moon.

In her hand was proof. A purple amulet that Delzinna wore, which Scorpina discovered was actually amplifying Delzinnia's magic. This tiny amulet made Delzinnia so powerful that Scorpina wanted Finster to analyze it before she put it on.

Finster's ship landed nearby and she headed onboard.

"Will Rita be proud?" Finster asked as she entered the cockpit.

"No, she will fear me," was all Scorpina replied.

Finister stayed quiet as he flew them back to the Moon.

"Hey, let's go back to the beach and watch the sunset," Trini said.

"Yeah, we can't let them ruin our beach day," Kimberly replied.

"Kim's right," Tommy said.

"You'll always say that, won't you?" Zack joked.

Tommy lightly punched Zack in the arm before they decided to carefully teleport to a secluded area nearby the beach where they left their things.

"Thank goodness, it's all still here," Jason said as they walked up to their towels.

"A lot of people stay here for like 18 hours a day, so they really only get rid of it after like a week," Kimberly replied.

They all sat down on their towels and faced the ocean. The sun had a ways to go to set, but that didn't stop the Rangers from taking in this peaceful moment.

Tommy felt someone rest their head on his arm and knew it was Kimberly.

"Thank you, you and Jason, for saving us," she said.

"Kim, you never have to thank us," he replied.

"I know, but after experiencing what you both went through...I'm still feeling it like aftershocks...I can only imagine what you and Jason have been dealing with," Kimberly said.

"We'll get through it. We always do," Jason replied.

Rita sat on her throne until an interesting image popped in her globe. Finster was trying to get ahold of her.

"You highness," he called through.

Rita walked up to the globe. "Yes, Finster,"

"She finished Delzinnia as you thought she would," Finster said.

"Good, and does she have the amulet?" Rita asked.

Finster nodded, being careful since Scorpina was somewhere on the ship.

"Make sure you get it from her and give it to me when you land. She thinks she can take over my reign, she's already lost by underestimating me," Rita cackled.

"Yes, you highness. Consider it done," Finster replied.

"Look guys, it's close! It's so beautiful," Kimberly yelled out.

Tommy sighed. "I could see myself living out here."

"Really?" Kimberly asked.

"Yeah, it's calm out here, no giant monsters blocking your sun and the Dragonzord killing all of the great waves," Tommy replied.

Kimberly leaned up and kissed his cheek as they watched the sun go down.

Jason held up an invisible wine glass. "Here's to more sunsets, thanks to us."

The rest of the Rangers held up their "glasses" and pretended to drink to that declaration.

Finster and Scorpina arrived on the moon. Before they separated, Finster reminded Scorpina for the amulet.

"Here, let me know when and if I can wear it," Scorpina said.

"Absolutely," he replied as he placed it in his pocket.

Scorpina headed into her room and sat on a nearby chair, feeling a sense of accomplishment and was prepping herself on how to confront Rita with her new found confidence. 

As she was thinking of her plan, she heard someone mutter what sounded like a spell outside her door. Sure enough, a magical barracade surrounded her door. Scorpina walked up to it and placed her hands on it, which sent a massive electric charge, sending her away from the door.

"What is this?!" Scorpina exclaimed.

"You think I was born yesterday? You destroy Delzinnia and think you can just come back to this moon and take over my rule?" Rita screamed through the door.

"Thanks for the amulet, by the way. That'll come in handy when I start to dismantle Tommy's power like I planned," Rita continued.

Scorpina was livid but knew there was nothing she could do being trapped. She was tricked. Finster went against her. Everyone had.

She heard Rita's laugh grow quieter as she sat in her room, knowing she would have plenty of time alone.

Tommy offered to drive home, since Kimberly was exhausted after today's events and he didn't feel like falling asleep to another nightmare in front of everyone. Kimberly sat in the passenger seat next to him.

She looked back as everyone else was fast asleep.

"Kim, I'll be fine. Why don't you get some rest," Tommy said, as he kept his eyes on the road.

"I'm tired but I know I won't like what I dream about...or should I say nightmare," Kim explained.

"Yeah. It's rough. I've been trying to will my mind during them to change them. Try to make them go my way," Tommy replied.

"Has it worked?" she asked.

"Yeah, a few of them. I'm not getting them as much as I did the first couple of weeks," he answered.

"You can always talk to me about them, Tommy. I want to help you but sometimes I don't know how," she said.

"You being by my side is how you're helping me. Trust me," Tommy replied and smiled.

"Always," Kimberly said and smiled too.

"Zack, wake up. You're home," Tommy said as he glanced in the rear view mirror.

Zack woke up in a zombie-like mode and crawled over Jason in the back row. Kimberly got out and opened the sliding side door and helped Zack get out. 

"Get some rest," she said, as she handed him his beach stuff.

"Yes, Mom," he grumbled, half-tired.

This continued as they dropped off Trini, Billy, and Jason.

"You going to be okay to get home?" Tommy asked as Kimberly got in the driver's seat.

"I'll be fine," she said. "Geez, did you have to put the seat back to the third row?" 

Tommy laughed as she watched her move the driver's seat forward.

"Don't be upset if we don't hang out tomorrow," Tommy declared.

"I won't. I'll still be in bed until school starts on Monday," Kimberly replied.

Tommy leaned through the driver's side window and kissed Kimberly's lips.

"Good night, Beautiful," he said.

"Good night, Handsome," she replied and started the van.

"Hey, thanks for the beach day. Aside all that fighting shit, it was really fun," he said.

"You're welcome," she replied and smiled.

Tommy watched as Kimberly drove off before he walked into his house. His parents were watching TV in the family room.

"Hey Tommy, how was your beach trip?" his mom yelled out.

"Eventful. I'm exhausted and going right to bed," he yelled back as he stood at the base of the stairs.

"Ok, good night!" his Dad exclaimed.

He slowly made his way upstairs to his room and faceplanted right into his bed. He didn't even bother changing out of his clothes but did manage to turn and lie on his back, resting his arm under his head. He felt his power coin heat up a little but thought he was imagining things as he quickly drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the love! The third story in this episodic series is called, "Welcome to Hotel Angel Grove, Enjoy Your Stay." I appreciate all of the views/reads! :-D


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